there is breaking there is breaking new this is morning. a multinational military effort to stop moammar gadhafis crackdown. in japan, one week since the quake and tsunami call on the u.s. for more help. the non-stop battle. japan's newest heroes, firefighters volunteering to fight the nuclear monster. good morning. we begin with breaking news in the middle east. the u.s. and allies are preparing for a military strike against the government of moammar gadhafi.

>> it comes after a vote from the u.n. security council to protect civilians at all costs. good morning, emily. >> reporter: good morning to you. for weeks now, the world condemned moammar gadhafi's people. now this puts force behind the words. four decades of moammar gadhafi's rule are challenged with a vote. >> translator: ten votes in favor. zero votes against. >> reporter: the u.n. security council voted a no-fly zone to protect rebels. >> this resolution demands an immediate cease-fire and an end to violence and attacks to civilians. >> reporter: this comes weeks after rebel resis tense. gadhafi said attacks are

imminent. he said we are coming. we are for t looking for the tr and should have no mercy or c e compassi compassion. gadhafi's son said his family is not afraid. >> what is your father's reaction, your reaction to the resolution that has been taken? >> first of all, it was unfair. as you know, as you know, from the beginning we told everybody there were no air strikes against civilians. >> reporter: in cities, people celebrated the news of the no-fly zone announcement hoping it helps them accomplish what they fought so hard to win. this resolution bans ground forces from entering libya. gadhafi says he will internatioo international attacks. rob and peggy. >> escalating tension. the navy ships are standing by on the mediterranean.

what happens next? >> we don't know the time line. they will respond within hours after the u.n. resolution vote. other nations said it may take one to two days before air strikes can occur. what we are dealing with is a race against the clock. worries about what gadhafi may do during the passage of the resolution and the enforcement. >> interesting to see. live in washington, thank you. we are standing by for any military action in libya. we'll have apdate on update on good morning america. to the other global crisis, it's been a week since the earthquake hit japan. workers are trying to restart the cooling conditions at the reactor. the latest toll from the quake and tsunami, 16,600 dead or missing. president obama has ordered a comprehensive safety review of the 104 nuclear reactors in this

country in the wake of that disaster in japan. the head of the u.n. atomic agency arrived in japan for a personal assessment of the crisis. >> reporter: good morning to you. the last-ditch effort to save the nuclear plant involved more than 140 firefighters and 300 workers. they have volunteered for the dangerous mission and like many crews will work to cool down the reactors to prevent total disaster. it's an all-out battle to save the fukushima daiichi plant. they are attempting to cool it down and overt potential meltdown. the latest effort went in after

crews dropped sea water. today, officials said they would not resume aerial operations for now. 300 men are working around the clock to save the plant. all opting to remain nameless. their families are sharing their stories. a daughter tweeting how proud she is of her father. a wife sharing her husband's e-mail. i will be home for awhile. american citizens concerned about the nuclear threat are leaving the country. the first charter flight left friday morning from sendai to tokyo for those worried about the uncertainty ahead. all the focus has overshadowed a humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold. the death toll stands at 6,000. more than 10,000 are still missing. evacuation centers are waiting for supplies a week after the quake hit. there are more than 80,000

members of the defense forces assisting in aid helping it to get aid to evacuees. relief has come from dozens of countries. there's concern they are being overworked. one reporter said he spoke to an evacuee who said please don't just report on the nuclear plant, don't forget about us. we still need a lot of help. >> it's amazing. we also heard about the firefighters, the tokyo firefighters heading to the fukushima plant. what else do we know about these amazing heroes? >> reporter: they volunteered for the mission knowing how dangerous it is. that's how brave they are. we hold the firefighters and the fire chief said today that we expect a lot of difficulties with the mission we have been given. it's a dangerous assignment.

the reputation of japan and the lives of many people are in the hands of your actions. so, we have to continue to follow to see if they can get that plant under control. we know how difficult it has been the last few days. >> an understatement. thank you. live in osaka this morning. president obama would like americans here at home to know they are not at risk. >> as a precaution airline passengers, luggage and cargo are all being screened for levels of radiation. so far, only trace levels have been detected in the cargo. >> sensors are working around the clock. experts insist the planes are so diluted, they pose no danger to those on the west coast. >> they have nothing to worry about in terms of increasing the actual dose of radiation people get, it's not going to happen.

>> wind, rain and salt spray help clean the air diluting the plumes on the long journey from japan to the u.s. taking a look at the weather, drenching rain from seattle to san francisco. up to two feet of snow in the sierras. light rain from st. louis to cincinnati. a string-like day along the east coast. it's welcome news. new york and boston well into the 60s. miami, 83. 83 in dallas. 43 in minneapolis. mostly 50s from seattle to colorado springs. you can feel spring coming. yes. >> couldn't come soon enough. that is for sure. coming up, the scare at a school after fourth graders eat cocaine. the looming shortage for apples newest ipad. we'll update the top story,

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>> this morning, disaster in the pacific. plus the 12-year-old internet singing sensation that has everybody talking. what they are say sg cruel. now, she talks back to critics on good morning america. morning america this morning on abc. well, it's a fine end to a rough week for japanese stocks. the nikkei climbs 2.7% today. stocks surge in the u.s. other industrial nations helped stabilize the yen. it will make japanese products

cheaper. other markets in asia are rising. the hang seng climbed. wall street, the dow jumped 161 points. the nasdaq 19 points. general motors is the first u.s. auto maker to suspend production because of the disaster in japan. they will pick up in louisiana next week because of a shortage of parts. oil is $103 a barrel. the fighting has cut most of the daily output. apple may face a shortage of the new ipad. they may run out of parts for the ipad 2 because some of the components are made in japan. it went on sale just a week ago. coming up next, more from

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>> reporter: the bigger the rin@ you draw around the plant, the harder it is to evacuate. going out to 50 miles which is u.s. considers safe, you are talking potentially evacuating 1.9 million people. >> low levels of radiation have been detected in tokyo and beyond. hazardous levels are limited to the plant itself. here in the u.s., experts claim there is no danger. school students in washington, d.c., had to be hospitalized after ingesting cocaine. they believe a fourth grader brought it to school and gave it to classmates. the kids are said to be doing well. the child who brought it in is charged with drug possession. dominique ramirez is suing

to get her crown back after officials fired her for being too fat. in the first day of testimony, she testified she was not fat but her photos were unusable even after being air brushed. she was fired for breaking the rules. the rest of the first round games of march madness begin. >> good morning. a year ago, butler almost knocked off duke in march madness. butler to chase the win. six seconds left. matt howard is there at the buzzer. he scores! take another look. gets i clear time. butler wins and they knock them off and move on. in the meantime, the southwest final seconds of the game,

harper 0 for 5 from three fired a three-pointer. they stayed up by one. last chance for louisville. a three-pointer at the buzzer. 12.72 rebounded. 28 double doubles. a huge rejection as they upset louisville, 62-61. penn state taking on temple. you sunk the battleship. temple had a chance to win it. juan fernandez one and done. temple celebrates the first turn of victory in ten years.years. that was also versus penn state. two-point victory. byu taking on rockford.

74-66. don't forget for all the highlights join us on the highlight express on espnews. that's it for now. this time, there was a reporter who took the hit. >> ben higgins was doing a live report in tuson when an suv backed into him. he was hit. it could have been worse if his cameraman didn't intervene. he said he was okay and finished the report. we'll be right back. with chantix and support... our kids go to school together. -we work together. -i'm in your cooking class. we play ball together. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. and you can even smoke during the first week. quitting on my own never seemed to be enough. this time it was different. this time i was ready. ready to take control. ready to talk to my doctor. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation,

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we put the good in morning. now we head to the stories we'll be watching friday. u.s. and allies preparing military forces for air and sea attack on the gadhafi government after a no-fly zone over libya. the head of the u.n. nuclear agency says japan is racing against the clock. return to haiti after seven years of exile. the first democratic elected president, he has no interest now in politics. president obama's first official trip to south america. he's making stops in chile and el salvador. the heavy winter year aftsts yesterday's parade. another beautiful day is on tap.

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up next at 4:30. a big announcement that could mean a brighter future for the bay to breakers race. japan's raise nay concerns about a threat at a power plant. and mike is on the storm watch. >> yeah, already picking up thunderstorms, more heavy rain and the worst of it may come finally on this friday morning after a busy week of news, the funny man of late

night tv. >> we love this stuff. everything is fair game from march madness to st. patrick's day. president obama went on espn to announce his tournament picks. as japan put it, really? you're kidding me? the ncaa basketball tournament tipped off tonight. see you in three weeks productivity. i think we needws